


Blue and Multicolored Eyes

by Kaufmann



Series: • Drawings • [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fainting, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hallucinations, Hugs, Hyperventilation, Jason Grace Deserves to be loved, Jason Grace Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Jason Grace Needs a Hug, Jason and Nico fell into Tartarus instead of Percy and Annabeth, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23764555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaufmann/pseuds/Kaufmann
Summary: Jason was having a good day. The seven had a meeting, and surprisingly everything went well. That is, until Piper arrives with two mugs with a hot liquid that remind Jason of a certain River of Fire.
Relationships: Jason Grace & Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Jason Grace (Mentioned)
Series: • Drawings • [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711627
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	Blue and Multicolored Eyes

Jason sighed as he watched his friends leave the room. They had one more meeting, and Jupiter's son realized that the others were not acting as they normally did, especially Percy.

He bowed his head and looked at his hands crossed on the table, his eyes falling on the skull ring on his right ring finger. Nico had given it to him in the day he left with Reyna and Coach Hedge, which was also the day the two left Tartarus.

When Nico said he would take the statue to Half-Blood Camp along with Reyna and Coach Hedge, Jason snapped. It took a while for Jason to calm down and Nico to explain what he was going to do and why, they had to step away from the group for that.

But the point was, Jason knew what Hades' son would do, he just didn't want to part with Nico! The two of them spent a lot of time together. Hell! They survived in Tartarus having only each other! He, by no means, wanted to separate himself from Nico, only mere thought made his breathing accelerate.

Jason knew that it was called separation anxiety, and that it wasn't a good sign that he was developing it, but at the time all that mattered was that Nico was leaving.

Nico had given him the ring as a promise. A promise that he would not die and that they would be together one day, since then, Jason would catch himself playing with the ring at random times, especially when he is nervous.

Jason raised his head abruptly with the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway. He became tense and his hand landed on the handle of the sword, ready to attack whatever it was.

His posture became more relaxed, though still tense, when Piper appeared at the door, looking surprised for a moment, as if she didn’t expect him to still be here.

\- Hey - She said, giving a shy smile, going towards the small kitchen, and grabbing a pot. Jason watched carefully as she poured boiling water and leaned on the counter.

\- Hey - He whispered back, turning the ring between his fingers as Nico did.

\- How are you doing? - Asked Piper, putting the hot chocolate in a mug - Want some?

Jason nodded subtly and Piper leaned over to grab another mug. She sat in front of him and handed him the glass containing the steaming liquid. Jason shuddered when he looked at the floating steam and when his fingers touched the surface too hot. He pushed his hands away and looked away.

\- Jason?

\- Yes? - Whispered Jason, stopping the movement of the ring in his hands.

\- Are you okay? – He asked Piper, taking a sip of the mug, watching him with careful and gentle eyes.

Jason shrugged. It's not like he's okay. Because he’s sure he’s wasn't. But, he imagined, he was moving on, though.

\- I'm going to stay - He replied, a familiar sensation beginning to appear in the mouth of the stomach. He looked around, nervous.

\- Is there anything I can do to help? – He asked Piper, tilting his head lightly, not seeming to notice Jason's internal panic.

\- N-No... – Jason's breath hitched, he rose abruptly, bumping into the mug of steaming hot chocolate and knocking it all down on himself.

He sobbed, the hot liquid reminded him of the River of Fire, Phlegethon.

_Jason's eyes watered, he felt like he was drinking shrapnel from acid-steaming glass. The liquid went down, so hot he thought he was going to pass out. He felt like he was going to die, like he was on fire inside. He was going to die, he was going to die, gods, he was going to-_

\- Jason - A voice. Someone was calling him. Piper. It was Piper. He held out his hand blindly, black dots clouding his vision, and leaned heavily on the girl.

He knew she was talking, but he couldn't understand her, his voice was muffled. His breathing accelerated, he realized he was sitting. Quick breaths of air came out between his lips, and he widened his eyes.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't do it. Oh, gods! And he was going to... A figure went through his vision, if eyes fixed on the other side of the room, something was there.

Jason couldn't breathe. He felt dizzy, looking at the shadows on the other side of the room. Letting go of a wretched hiccup, he dropped himself behind. Someone held him.

The shadows. There was something in the shadows. He couldn't think straight. What the other way? He couldn't breathe!

Two ores shone on the leftovers; Jason looked wide-eyed with fear.

_Standing in front of the Gates of Death was Tartarus himself. His red eyes looked straight at Jason. He felt all his insecurities and fears to flower his skin, Tartarus emanated a sense of despair and even greater fear up close. Jason opened his mouth and screamed._

That's the last thing he heard before everything got dark.

* * *

When Jason fainted, Piper must admit that his heart stopped for a second. The inert form of Jupiter's son was drooping against her, the body thinner than normal. Piper suspected he was skipping meals.

She quickly but gently lay Jason down on the ground, turning his head to the right side and grabbing the boy's ankles. She raised Jason's feathers to heart level and watched, with wide eyes, the blonde’s rapid and shallow breathing return to a normal, though still irregular, rhythm.

She lowered her legs and Jason trembled, letting slip a groan. His muscles contracted and he forced himself to open his eyes, blinking into the strong light. A shadow covered the light, and for a second, Jason began to panic again, thinking it was Tartarus, but it was only Piper.

\- Shh... it's all right, you're safe, we're not in Tartarus – she said, a soft tone of voice upon realizing that Jason was panicking again. Piper reached out and began smoothing Jason's blond strands of forehead, smiling as he leaned over for contact.

Jason sobbed. Piper helped him sit down, and he leaned heavily on her, burying his head around his neck. He began to cry, a loud cry, which at times he screamed, tightly squeezing a handful of Piper's sweatshirts in his hand.

Her shirt was wet with tears and snot, but Piper didn't care, she knew Jason needed to get it out.

The screams attracted others from the crew, and soon Percy and Hazel stood beside them, with the girl rubbing circles on Jason's back and the boy whispering words of comfort.

Eventually, the crying stopped, summed up Jason’s occasional sniffs. He buried himself more in Piper's embrace, closing his eyes tightly. He wanted Nico. He wanted the Son of Hades more than anything at the time.

\- Jason? - It was Piper’s invoice, so close to his ear – Would you like to talk about what happened??

She expected a no, like all the other times she asked this, but this time she was surprised to feel Jason nodding his head, whispering a "later". Piper nodded, and with the help of Percy and Hazel, they put Jason on his feet. They took him to his room and made him promise to call if he needed anything.

* * *

Later, on her watch shift, Piper felt a breeze pass through her face. She looked up in time to see Jason land on the mast, disappearing.

Piper looked briefly at the starry sky before walking toward the stairs leading to the top of the mast. When she got up there, she found Jason sitting on the ledge, almost falling, hugging his knees firmly against his chest, looking at the stars.

Jason didn't look up, but she can tell by the way his shoulders got strained that he knew she was here. Piper sat next to him, a little far from the edge, cross-legged, leaning his arms behind him, waiting. Finally, Jason pronounced:

\- T-the mug - He began, in a whisper - reminded me of something.

Piper looked at Jason, a silent question in her eyes. She gave a comforting smile and lightly squeezed the blonde's shoulder. Jason swallowed it dry and continued:

\- _Down there,_ there's a river, called Phlegethon, it comes from the underworld, and it's the only thing that can keep you alive. The river has healing properties, but it is so much difficult to drink – he explained, new tears beginning to appear in the corner of the eyes. Piper rubbed his back – The hot chocolate reminded me of the feeling of that fire liquid coming down the throat.

Jason shrank, some tears flowed down his cheeks. He hugged his knees tighter, putting his head on Piper's shoulder as she put her arm around his torso, pulling him close. Piper held his head on top of Jason’s and looked at the thousands of stars shining in the sky.

\- Before I lost my memory, before it all started, Nico and I used to sneak into the Garden of Bacchus at night, just to observe the stars, that was my favorite place in camp – Jason said, without turning our eyes from the sky.

\- What's your favorite constellation? – Piper asked.

\- Twins. Gemini, in Latin - Jason spoke - Symbolizes the twins Castor and Pollux. They were Jupiter’s children, I mean, Zeus, sorry. They were warriors and were part of the crew of the first Argo, with the original Jason. They once got into a fight with other two twin brothers, and Castor was killed. Pollux begged Zeus to do something, and he brought Castor back, but Pollux knew it would not take long for Castor to die again, and when that day came, Jupiter turned them both into constellations.

\- Wow, awesome story – Piper commented, not understanding why Jason likes this constellation – but you didn't say why this is your favorite constellation.

Jason smiled:

\- This is my favorite constellation because Jupiter turned them into constellations so they could spend eternity together. It reminds me of Nico, because I would like to spend the rest of my days by his side, I wish it for a long time.

Piper looked at Jason, surprised. She never heard the boy talk like that about anyone, his voice was so full of love and affection that it made Piper's heart hurt. As a daughter of Aphrodite, she knew how to recognize love very well, and Jason's love for Nico was much greater than whatever she felt for Jupiter's son.

\- That's incredibly beautiful, Jason - Piper said, smiling at him - I hope you can fulfill your wish one day.

Jason smiled, but they were interrupted by a shrill noise. As they looked up, they spotted birds advancing to attack them. Jason's eyes shone with an electric light, he felt better than in a long time.

Standing up, Jason offered Piper his hand while the other unsheathed the sword.

\- Ready?

\- Always.

Jason jumped into the sky toward the monsters, Piper clung to a rope and slid toward the upper deck, cutting as many monsters as she could on the way.

The rest of the night passed like this, the monsters came, but they were ready, and when there was a pause, they admired the stars, who seemed to shine brighter that night.

Jason thought he saw something flashing at him from above and smiled. For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to be free.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who did't understand, this series is set in Blood of Olympus.
> 
> I'm going to do a chapter of each helping Jason. 
> 
> Comment! I love to know what you guys think of my stories! 
> 
> Oh, and if you arrived at this "chapter" without reading the previous ones, know that the previous parts are in the same style, but a different person comforting Jason. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
